White Sunday at the Beach

We took the kids from next door to the beach yesterday

Maddy is a real natural in the water

As soon as we got to the beach he ran straight into the water

Me and my boy looking cool

This is the only photo of us building a sandcastle that hid my pot

Photo of the Day

Maddy at Saluafata beach this morning

At Home Today

Maddy and I are at home today. I have the flu and maddy still has a slight cough. I think its definitely the weather, or else I'm a bit rundown, or maybe I just couldn't be bothered going into work today (hehe). We have just finished breakfast and maddy is about to go next door to play. All the kids in the neighbourhood are on a weeks holiday and maddy is really loving it. They play most of the day in the garage, running around chasing each other, teasing each other, or chasing "jealous" (the neighbours dog!).

Madi went to lotu Wednesday evening with the kids and learnt two new songs. Here are the words:

I help you, you help me
We're a helping family
Helping helping
Sing a helping song
Helping Helping all day long

Sung to the tune of I Love You from Barney

Jesus is my friend today
Clap your hands, Shout Hooray
Jesus is my friend today,
We Love Jesus

Sung to the tune of London bridge is falling down.

It's White Sunday celebration this weekend and town is buzzing with shoppers. White clothing is displayed everywhere even in furniture stores. They had a two day market day, where businesses come together under one roof to sell their products (usually at a discount). Didn't quite make it this time round, maybe next time.

Since Monday is a holiday, I think we will be spending it at the beach (weather permitting). Madi has become quite the swimmer or shall I say isn't scared of swimming on his own now.. as soon as we get to Taumeasina, he quickly jumps out of the car and straight into the water... no hesitation whatsoever... the other kids... well .. lets say it takse at least 10 mins before they decide to even touch the water. He is such a big boy!

Baby Pictures

Last night I spent most of the evening going through all of Madison's baby pictures from 0 - 24 months. It's amazing how fast he has grown. Here are some of my favourites :-)

Under the Weather

Madison hasn't been feeling too good since Friday. He has a slight cough and runny nose. We took him to his usual doctor and he prescribed antibiotics and pamol. He thinks this should clear within 5 days. Last night wasn't a good night as he found it really hard to sleep. We both were up and down all night until he finally fell asleep around 4 am. To my amazement, he awoke at 8ish, ready to go out and play with his friends. He hasn't coughed much at all today so I think the antibiotics are kicking in. YAY!

It's been raining alot over the last couple of weeks.. why? they say it's palolo season.... who knows! It's been cool during the day and hot throughout the nights.. unbelievable. Anyways, Matt is at golf today, the kids next door helped me sweep the yard, pick up the rubbish and leaves, and hang out the washing. I swept and mopped downstairs and I still have to tackle the upstairs... maybe tommorrow!

Love to All the Family expecially to Aunty Suluama - Our prayers are with you - Get Better Soon :-)

Having Fun

Maddy liked the House of Bounce, but only for a little while...

This is Daddy explaining that he's way too heavy to go with him on the slide...

Our fearless climber on his 23rd go around on the inflatable playground

Who's The Boss?

Sometimes I wonder who the head of this family really is. Madison thinks it's him, Rachel thinks it's her and I (foolishly perhaps) think it's me. As you probably guessed, Maddy wins out most of the time.

Yesterday he suprised us both by saying he wanted to go back to school, so we took him to school. The teachers looked pleasantly suprised to see him and we were both happy that Maddy wanted to go to school as well. He didn't even want his mommy to walk him to the door.

So today, he tells us he doesn't want to go to school because it's "uma". No matter how much we tried to convince him that school would be fun, he refused to get ready and instead declared that he wanted to go to work with me instead. He wasn't too happy when he didn't get his way!

Daddy One More?

We took Maddy to an inflatable playground yesterday that they had running at the Eleele Fou. It had a giant rock face for climbers, a rugby challenge complete with slides and obstacles as well as an enclosed trampoline-like tent. Maddy loved it!

After playing there for about an hour, I decided it was time to go home but Maddy kept saying, "Daddy, one more?" with this cute little smug grin on his face. How could I resist? After about 4 or 5 "one mores" we finally managed to drag him off the slides and into the car.

Clever Quotes

I tend to laugh at quotes I find on the Net that are true in one way or another. Here are a few that I came across today that ring true to me:

Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home. - Phyllis Diller

Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time. - Rabbinical Saying

The reason grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy. - Sam Levenson

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. - Leo J. Burke

Level with your child by being honest. Nobody spots a phony quicker than a child. - Mary MacCracken

Children are the only form of immortality that we can be sure of. - Peter Ustinov

If you want to see what children can do, you must stop giving them things. - Norman Douglas

Happy Birthday Aunty Sachi!

Maddy has asked me to pass on our best happy birthday wishes to his Aunty Sachi. We hope you have a great day and got lots and lots of birthday pressies! Love from Maddy and his 2 slaves.

Our Fearless Little Climber

Maddy is a fearless climber. He loves climbing up just about anything. If he's outside playing, you can pretty much guarantee he's off the ground somewhere.

Maddy likes to scare his parents to death with his daredevil-like antics on the playground

This the look we get when we have to go home

Mommy, vaai lea!

Weekend at the Golf Course

Yep, if Maddy sees a rock, he HAS to climb it

The Pisikoa Golf team in their flash new uniforms, don't we look like pros?

Maddy is the official Pisikoa golf mascot

Difficult Decisions

Rachel and I decided to let our housegirl go yesterday. Without going into too much detail, we decided that it would be better for all concerned, especially Madison, that we went our separate ways after a rollercoaster 6 months together.

There are times when I wonder why people take advantage of other people's generosity. You give them things they never had, freedom to do whatever they want, reward them for good work and still, they find a way to make you regret being so nice to them.

Maybe the majority of Samoans aren't used to this concept and are more familiar with the "tough love" approach of strict supervision and well defined boundaries. I know that's a gross generalization but in my experience with people I've worked with and people who have worked for me, I find this to be true.

It's in my nature to give people the benefit of the doubt, to believe that people are intrinsically good, so I guess this makes me gullible in a way. Maybe I should be more cynical or skeptical in my future dealings with people.

Afternoon in the Sun

We took Maddy and his posse of friends from next door to the playground yesterday afternoon. I can't describe how pumped they all were to be going to the playground, it was a nice feeling doing something for the kids that they really enjoyed.

The kids were running all over the place, laughing and screaming for joy, seemingly in a rush to play with every single thing. Maddy wanted to be the centerpiece of every game they played and was often frustrated when the other kids ran away because they didn't like the way he tried to dominate everything.

It was funny watching this because by the end of the day he figured out for himself that playing nice was more fun because the kids stuck around a lot longer than when he was screaming his lungs out trying to direct traffic.

Happy Birthday Aunty Lagi

Rachel, Maddy and I would like to wish aunty Lagi in New Zealand a big happy birthday! We hope you have a wonderful day and got lots and lots of prezzies. Maddy says that since it's your birthday, he's expecting a pressie from you in the mail!

Oi Sole

Madison is speaking Samoan so well now that he speaks in slang too. A good example of this is how he adds the word "sole" to almost everything he says. Just the other night he asked mommy for some bubblegum and when mommy said no, he replied, "Leaga ia o mommy sole".

He's also developing a very strong independent personality, he must be the leader in everything he does. If the other kids don't want to go along with what he wants, he'd rather play by himself then go along with the crowd.

Home With Maddy

After spending the better part of yesterday on the golf course, I'm feeling a little worse for wear and have decided to take sick leave today. I must be getting older because it takes a lot longer for the aches and pains to go away after some exercise. It's either that or I'm really unfit! haha

It's going to be nice to spend some more time with my son today, he's growing up so fast.

Baby Nua - Madison's 2nd Cousin

Isn't she beautiful

Pool Day aka Father's Day

It was a scorcher today so I brought the pool out of storage and let the kids from the neighbourhood go crazy. It was big hit as you can see from the photos. Happy Father's Day to all the lucky fathers out there!

After 2 hours in the pool I sent the kids back home and now there is peace and quiet in the land, now that all the kids are all tuckered out.

Changing Things Up

I have decided to cancel Madison's geocities website and move it here. Updating two webpages has become a hassle and since I no longer have the software program that made updating the other webpage easier, this seems the logical thing to do.

Don't worry though, I'll post links to all of his photos and guestbook here and in the future I'll post all of his photos in his blog right here, and they'll be archived monthly with the rest of his stuff.

If you had his other page bookmarked, you might want to bookmark this page instead as this will become his new main page. Thanks!

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Happy Birthday BatGran!

I know today is the 8th but today is BatGran's birthday in New Zealand, so Happy Birthday BatGran! Rach, Maddy and I hope you have a wonderful day and save all the major major celebrations until we get there early next year! Love you!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Today is Papa's 62nd birthday, malo lava Dad! Maddy and I just called Papa up on the phone but our reluctant hero got bashful all of a sudden and wouldn't utter a single word. We'll try calling again tonight, hopefully by then he'll have rediscovered his voice!

Face Painted

Maddy wanted to paint his own face but after a bit of persuasion he finally relented and let me do it for him.

He wanted a superman logo, a spiderman logo and a harry potter one.

I've yet to meet a kid that asked for a Jesus sign or a bible to be painted on his or her face.

I guess that's a sign of the times.

One Happy Kid

Maddy enjoyed his birthday party at McDonalds last night. It didn't take him long to get to sleep afterwards.

Click on any of the photos to see or download the original.

Watch Out Below!

Madison must have been up and down that slide about 100 times last night. The boy is like an Everready battery, he just keeps going and going.

Yay! Ice Cream!

Normally we don't let Maddy have ice cream because it exacerbates his cough but since it was his birthday, we let him have one. Boy, did he savour that ice cream!

Have It All

Madison normally likes having the chicken mcnugget happy meal when we go to McDonalds, so that's what we got him last night. But when he saw that his friends were having cheeseburgers, he too wanted a cheeseburger, so instead of asking mommy to get him a cheeseburger, he just took his friends cheeseburger *haha* I guess it was my fault for telling him he could do whatever he wanted on his birthday!

The Shy Guy

Maddy loved his Superman chocolate birthday cake but when it came time to sing happy birthday, he went all shy! This is a photo of him during the happy birthday song wishing people would just get it over with already!

Maddy and Grace

This is Maddy on the slide with his friend Grace. Our little hero seems to be a bit of a girl magnet!

Mr Three

Maddy had a wonderful birthday party last night. About 20 kids turned up (maybe more, I lost count) and he had a blast. I'll be uploading photos of his birthday party here throughout the day so check back every now and then.

Happy Birthday Son!

Today is Madison's third birthday! He woke up this morning and when we said "Happy Birthday Son!", the first words out of his mouth were, "I want more presents".

He's feeling a little better, his energy is slowly returning. He's with the next door neighbours today because Neta is still away.

Mommy is buying some stuff today to top up the McDonald gift bags that all the kids get. It seems everything is set for his birthday party tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who sent him something for his birthday, it's going to be a great day!

Four Days Out

Maddy's third birthday is only four days away and all the kids in the neighbourhood are eagerly awaiting the birthday bash at McDonalds. It's all they can talk about. While mommy and daddy are frantically looking for some money to pay for the bash, the kids are talking about the Superman cake and baloons and games they will be playing. I wish I was a kid again!

Maddy isn't feeling very good today, he's got a bit of a temperature and mommy is at home looking after him.

Neta has gone to Tutuila for a church conference and will be away til early next month. Maddy wanted to "go on the boat" but there's no way I was going to let him subject himself to that kind of torture.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Three More Reasons Our Son is the Best

The other day when we were walking out of the bakery after lunch, Maddy in one hand, car keys in the other, Madison put his hand over my eyes to shield my eyes from the sun saying "ua la daddy or it's sunny daddy". It didn't occur to him that the sun was in his eyes too, he was more concerned for daddy's eyes.

Yesterday we were driving home when Maddy silently grimaced and clutched his tummy. When I asked him what was wrong he said "sore tummy daddy". He must have had a tummy bug because he had the runs all day yesterday. Not once did he complain or whine about it. He's braver than mommy and daddy put together.

Maddy has at least 5 pairs of jandals. He loves wearing them on his hands as he runs barefoot all over our rocky front yard, playing with his friends. I tried walking barefoot to the garage from the front door and nearly died.

You Going To School Today Son?

Every morning we give Maddy the option of whether he wants to go to school or not. Most of the time he says, "No, me stay home" or "nofo fale a'u" but he caught us offguard yesterday when he said he wanted to go to school. We had to look for his uniform, iron it, get his lunch ready and fill up his school bag with his spare change and shoes.

When I picked him up after school he looked so happy. It seemed as if he really enjoyed going to school and playing with a new bunch of kids instead of his usual posse.

So when I asked him if he wanted to go to school today, knowing how much he enjoyed it the day before, I was suprised to hear him say, "No daddy, me stay home today".

*sigh*

Caught Red Handed

Yep, there must be something irresistable about a mothers purse because you can bet your bottom dollar that if mommy turns her back for one second, kids dive right in. This is a photo of Maddy going through mommy's purse while she was in the shop.

Birthday Plans

Maddy's 3rd birthday is 2 weeks away and Rachel and I have made very few plans for it. We're still undecided between a beach party or a McDonalds party. I think his friends would love a day at the beach but logistically speaking, getting 20 kids to the beach for the day wouldn't be an easy feat. Any ideas?

Lost In Translation

Our wonderful son is now more fluent in Samoan than he is in English. He speaks more Samoan than his mom already and I often find myself translating what Maddy says for his mommy.

He spends most of his day with the kids from around the village and comes home with new words everyday. He's so proud of himself when he uses a Samoan word correctly and at times, he sits by himself, talking to himself in Samoan, almost like he practicing what he'll be saying to the kids next time he sees them.

Almost There

I've been kinda busy with work lately and so, haven't been able to update Maddy's Journal as much as I'd like to. We're changing out all of our old equipment at work, replacing it with new equipment and it's disrupted the normal flow of things.

Once we're done I should be able to resume updating Maddy's website more frequently. I also bought a battery recharger for our new digital camera so we'll have heaps of new photos to upload too. Yay!

Mommy Can I Go Outside?

Yep, that's Maddy and his friend Amataga from next door at church. This kid will try any kind of excuse to go outside and play, including begging his mommy to go to church.

Rach has done a great job of keeping him indoors all week but relented when Maddy got upset because we wouldn't let him go to church. I'm sure Papa would love to hear that we finally let him go and he was so happy to be with the other kids singing and playing at sabbath school.

The Wild Child

No, Maddy isn't quite the wild child yet but he's heading in that general direction. It seems as if there aren't enough hours in a day for him, he has to be full steam ahead doing something all the time, in perpetual motion. He's loving life at Lalovaea, playing with his "posse" of friends, going to school and he even came to us yesterday asking for money because he wanted to go with his friends and buy an ice pop from the shop.

Fatilua Fatilua B.A., M.A. Ph.D etc etc

I also managed to catch up with my old buddy Fatilua while I was in DC. He made the 5 hour drive down from New York and we spent a couple of days catching up on old times. It was good to see him. Fati is in Albany doing his PhD and intends on going for his professorship after that. Best of luck to you Fati, we're all proud of you!

Shopping With Ling

It was nice to see my sister Lagi again during my recent trip to the USA. She has lost a lot of weight and is looking good! We went shopping for stuff for Maddy and while I was buggered after 5 straight hours of shopping, she was still going strong. Good to see you again sis :)

Catching Up With Mom

I was fortunate enough to catch up with my mom during my last trip to Washington DC. It was so good to see her again! I believe it was 4 years since I last saw her at my wedding. I didn't realise what a terrible cook I was until I had mom's homecooking again!